Oak Ridge Today

Titan at ORNL now world’s fastest supercomputer

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Titan

Image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NVIDIA Corp.

The new Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is now the world’s fastest, according to a Top 500 list released this morning.

A Cray XK7 system, Titan achieved 17.59 petaflops on a benchmark test, equal to more than 17,000 trillion calculations each second, a press release said.

Titan knocked Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Sequoia from the No. 1 spot and into second place. Sequoia is an IBM BlueGene/Q system, and it was No. 1 in June with 16.32 petaflops.

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Chamber president speaks to Kiwanis Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Parker Hardy will discuss local business developments and organizations during a Tuesday talk to the Kiwanis Club, a press release said.

The talk starts shortly after noon Tuesday in the meeting room of the Super China Buffet, 330 South Illinois Ave.

The press release said topics could include commercial and business developments, available buildings, Chamber functions and staff, Leadership Oak Ridge, Young Professionals of Oak Ridge, and areas of interest and concern.

The meeting is open to the public, and it starts at noon. Hardy’s talk is scheduled to start at 12:10 p.m. An optional lunch buffet will be available at 11:40 a.m.

Additional information about the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is available at the organization’s website at http://www.orcc.org/.

Fillauer named to All Tennessee School Board

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Oak Ridge Board of Education Chairman Keys Fillauer has been recognized by the Tennessee School Board Association and named to the “All Tennessee School Board,” a press release said.

Members of the All Tennessee School Board were selected by a panel of judges from nominations throughout the state.

The nominee for the All Tennessee School Board who received the highest collective ranking by the panel of judges will be the recipient of the C. Hal Distinguished Service Award and serve as board chairman of the All Tennessee School Board, the press release said. That honor was scheduled to be announced by the Tennessee School Board Association at an annual conference held in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 5.

Qualifications for the All Tennessee School Board included achieving Level IV in the TSBA Boardsmanship program, quality of service, participation in board development activities, specific accomplishments of the local board of education during his term on the board, and leadership activities at the local, regional, or state level, the press release said.

During the past year, Fillauer has also received the “Service Above Self Award” from the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary, was inducted into the Anderson County Hall of Fame as the K-12 Educator of the Year, and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Technology Student Association.

Rudolph Bodemuller

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Rudolph Bodemuller

Rudolph Bodemuller

Rudolph Bodemuller, 95, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Nov. 7.

He was born in Louisiana on July 29, 1917, to parents Robert and Hilda Evans Bodemuller.

The Bodemullers came to Oak Ridge over 30 years ago, after Rudolph retired from the Garrett Corp. with the air research program in Phoenix, Ariz. He also retired from Allied Signal as an aeronautical engineer in 1983.

He was a member of Kern Memorial United Methodist Church.

Rudolph was preceded in death by his daughter, Mary Frances Bodemuller.

His survivors include his wife, Frances Ross Bodemuller; sons, James R. Bodemuller and wife Margaret A. Bodemuller of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Robert A. Bodemuller and wife Coleen Bodemuller of Boulder, Colo.; grandchildren, Brian Bodemuller, Julie Bodemuller Skaggs, Suzanne Bodemuller Vanderhoff, Alan Ross, Heidie Ross Clark, Darcie Bodemuller, Rebecca Bodemuller, and Benjamin Bodemuller; and nine great-grandchldren.

The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at Kern Memorial United Methodist Church with Rev. Jack Sills officiating. The family will receive friends from 1–2 p.m. Sunday at the church.

Burial will take place in Boulder, Colo.

The family requests the memorials be in the form of donations to Kern Memorial United Methodist Church, Music Program, 451 E. Tennessee Ave., Oak Ridge, TN 37830.

An online guest book may be signed at www.weatherfordmortuary.com.

Gary Neal Halstead

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Gary Neal Halstead

Gary Neal Halstead

Gary Neal Halstead, 58, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Nov. 5.

He was born to parents James Joseph and Ruth Natvig Halstead in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 18, 1954.

He had served as an officer with the New York Police Department.

His survivors include his daughters, Susan Halstead and Jo-Anne Mathier of Asheville; brother, James Joseph Halstead Jr. and wife Cathy of Brooklyn; nephew and niece, James Joseph Halstead III and Kristine Halstead Klepper; and grandchildren, Samantha, Kaylee, Jerica, and Deandra.

A memorial service will be held in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, with Rev. Steve Martin officiating. The family will receive friends Sunday, Nov. 11, from 3–4:30 p.m. in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary.

An online guest book may be signed at www.weatherfordmortuary.com.

Kentucky earthquake shakes homes in East Tennessee

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Kentucky Earthquake

A 4.3-magnitude earthquake west of Whitesburg, Ky., early Saturday afternoon rattled homes from Cincinnati to Atlanta. There were no initial reports of major injuries or damage. Whitesburg is northwest of Johnson City. (Image courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey)

An earthquake that measured 4.3 on the Richter Scale struck west of Whitesburg, Ky., at 12:08 p.m. Saturday, shaking homes from Cincinnati to Atlanta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter was in southeastern Kentucky about 96 miles north-northeast of Knoxville, USGS Geophysicist Paul Caruso said. He wasn’t sure how long it lasted.

Caruso said a 4.3-magnitude earthquake could cause chandeliers to swing and books to fall off shelves near the epicenter, but he wouldn’t expect any major casualties or major damage. They generally occur in quakes with a magnitude of 5.5 or greater, Caruso said.

Caruso said the earthquake was at a shallow depth of about one mile underground.

People in and around Oak Ridge and Knoxville immediately began posting about the quake on social media early Saturday afternoon, but it’s not clear if it caused any damage in East Tennessee.

About an hour after the earthquake, Lt. Ken Sexton of the Whitesburg Fire Department said the department had had no reports of damages or injuries so far. But buildings shook, and people were scared, Sexton said.

The quake was about eight miles west of Whitesburg, which is northwest of Johnson City. It’s mountainous coal mining country, Sexton said.

Caruso said it’s not possible to predict if and when there might be aftershocks, but they are always smaller than the earthquakes themselves. The USGS reported one 2.5-magnitude aftershock at 1:37 p.m. about 10 miles southeast of Hazard, Ky.

The USGS says earthquakes do not occur frequently in most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, but they are typically felt over a much larger region than they are in the West.

For more information and a map of the epicenter, see the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake page at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000dqhx#summary.

Note: This story was last updated at 7:48 p.m.

Clinton woman dies one week after three-car, head-on collision

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Three Car Collision on Oliver Springs Highway

Alberta Farrer, a 56-year-old Clinton resident and one of three drivers in a Nov. 1 head-on collision on Oliver Springs Highway, died Thursday morning at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A Clinton woman died early Thursday, one week after a head-on collision that involved three cars on Oliver Springs Highway, authorities said.

Alberta Farrer, 56, died at 4 a.m. Thursday at University of Tennessee Medical Center, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said.

Charges and citations are pending against one of the drivers, 55-year-old Danny Bean of Clinton, the THP said.

Bean allegedly crossed the center line while driving southbound in a Toyota 4-Runner on Oliver Springs Highway at Thursday, Nov. 1, causing a head-on collision with a Hyundai Elantra driven by Farrer, the THP said.

A Chevrolet pickup driven by Travis Gallaher, 19, of Oliver Springs, was behind Farrer, headed toward Oliver Springs. Gallaher braked and swerved left to avoid the crash, but the collision between Bean’s SUV and Farrer’s car pushed the two vehicles toward Gallaher’s truck and the pickup hit Farrer’s Elantra on the driver’s side.

Farrer and a passenger, Pat Smith, a 62-year-old Clinton resident, were flown by medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to an accident report last week. Bean was taken by ambulance to the UT hospital, and Gallaher was taken to a local hospital by a personal vehicle.

The accident occurred at 5:53 p.m. Nov. 1 near Marlow Circle and Anderson Memorial Gardens on Oliver Springs Highway, which is also known as State Route 61.

Emergency responders from several local agencies responded. The accident is being investigated by THP Trooper Anthony Lay.

Wildcats show promise in third, fall to Rebels in fourth

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Oak Ridge had a strong third quarter, scoring twice against Maryville and tying a Friday night second-round playoff game at 25.

But it wasn’t enough. The top-ranked Rebels answered with two touchdowns of their own in the fourth quarter and beat the Wildcats 39-25.

The Wildcats were down 25-10 at halftime, but the football team mounted a comeback in the third quarter with a 16-play drive and an interception by quarterback Rian Hall.

But the momentum shifted back to Maryville and its running game in the fourth quarter, and Hall was injured and had to leave the game with a little more than eight minutes to play.

It was the second match-up between the Wildcats (10-2) and Rebels (12-0) this year. Oak Ridge lost both, one during the regular season and the second during Friday night’s Class 6A playoff game in Maryville.

The Rebels will play the Dobyns-Bennett Indians (12-0) in Maryville next week.

Oak Ridge beat Science Hill 35-28 in a first-round playoff game last week.

The Wildcats finished the regular season 9-1, the best since 2005, and the football team was undefeated in the district and also district champions.

ORAU again donates more than $100,000 to United Way, Community Shares

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ORAU Annual Giving

John Huppmann, second from right, chair of the 2012 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign and co-chair Sarah Roberts, right, are pictured with ORAU President and CEO Andy Page, second from left, and East Tennessee Economic Council President and former United Way Chairman Jim Campbell during a ceremony announcing ORAU had raised about $140,000.

For the fifth year in a row, Oak Ridge Associated Universities has exceeded $100,000 in donations as part of its annual campaign to raise money for United Way and Community Shares, a press release said.

The total amount raised, about $140,000, includes roughly $100,000 for the United Way and close to $40,000 to Community Shares.

ORAU President and CEO Andy Page announced the total for the 2012 Annual Giving Campaign during a Nov. 7 ceremony at Pollard Auditorium, the press release said.

The ceremony was attended by Rick Morrow, executive director of United Way of Anderson County; Shelley Wascom, director of the Community Shares of Knoxville; and special guest Jim Campbell, president of the East Tennessee Economic Council and former United Way of Anderson County chairman.

ORAU is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 105 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Sound Company celebrates 10th anniversary, concerts this weekend

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The Sound Company Children’s Choir will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year with two special concerts this weekend that will highlight some of the group’s favorite musical selections during the past decade.

The first concert is at 7 p.m. today and the second is at 3 p.m. Saturday. Both concerts are at the Historic Grove Theater.

The nonprofit award-winning choir was founded in July 2003 by Sue Stone Byrne, Sally Avery, and Francine Britto. It includes students in four groups from grades one through twelve.

In addition to Sound Company concerts, Sound Company groups have recently performed in such productions as “Take It Home Tennessee” to raise money for the Emory Valley Center, Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra’s “Brundibar,” Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Clayton Holiday Concerts, and the 100th Anniversary Titanic Memorial Tribute at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, a press release said.

This fall, Sound Company has 138 performers from 30 schools from across East Tennessee as well as some home-schooled students.

For more information, visit the Sound Company website at https://sites.google.com/site/soundcompanyth/home.

Detectives will investigate mobile home fires on Oliver Springs Highway

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A Tuesday morning fire that damaged two mobile homes off Oliver Springs Highway has been ruled suspicious, and detectives from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will investigate, a report said.

The fire was reported at two mobile homes at the end of Joann Lane, just west of Anderson Memorial Gardens, at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Anderson County Sgt. Mark C. Hobbs said one of the mobile homes was unoccupied and used to store parts, including doors, cabinets and paint. It is owned by Ben Graves of Ben’s Home Center and located next to a fenced-in storage area.

Graves estimated the home’s value at about $18,000. The value of the items stored inside was unknown, the Sheriff’s Department report said.

There was a second “very old” mobile home behind the first one, and it appeared to be the source of the fire, the report said.

Neither mobile home had power. The report estimated the total damage at about $21,000.

City allows ‘brown bagging’ of beer, wine in some restaurants

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A city ordinance change approved Monday allows diners to bring their own beer or wine into certain restaurants when they have the owner’s permission. The practice is known as “brown bagging.”

The new ordinance was unanimously approved by Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, and it takes effect Thursday.

It applies to restaurants that have a beer permit or managers with Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission server permits, a city press release said. The ordinance does not allow “brown bagging” in other public places.

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